Reimagine Civic Buildings
Bringing civic buildings to life; shaping their future through innovation and design
+44 (0) 2027 379 7171
www.purcellarchitecture.com
We bring
civic buildings to
life; shaping their future through innovation and design.
Maximising the value of existing buildings through reuse and adaptation is a priority for public sector clients. Purcell supports client’s by assessing development potential, identifying opportunities and constraints (including complex heritage or planning considerations), and delivering strategies for decarbonisation, environmental sustainability, commercial return and social value.
We work by understanding the context and uncovering the stories of a place, by discovering what has gone before, assessing where that place is now and imagining what it can be in the future. We are experts in stakeholder consultation and working with local communities. We can take an idea, develop it and follow it through a full cycle of a project from inception, through construction to advising on managing and maintaining the built asset in use.
Jo Bartle Head of Public Sector
“Purcell’s expertise in repair, reinstatement and integration of new and old, along with the unwavering client support offered throughout all stages of funding and project logistics has paid dividends.”
RIBA JUDGES
“Purcell’s understanding of our building and its setting is profound. [Their] experience in engaging with planning authorities has been invaluable.”
SIR GABRIELE FINALDI, DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL GALLERY
About Purcell Our global reach
Purcell is a specialist practice of architects, masterplanners and heritage consultants. We are one of few international practices dedicated both to the care and development of historic places and the creation of innovative new buildings in sensitive contexts.
We employ over 300 architects, conservation architects and surveyors (a significant number of these are AABC, RIBA or RICS conservation accredited), masterplanners, heritage consultants, visualisers, and support groups. We are organised around four regions in the UK and a fifth in Asia Pacific comprising Hong Kong and Australia. Our purpose is to care for and bring new life to, the historic built environment, both nationally and internationally, expanding the ways in which places are understood and enjoyed by everyone.
With an extensive background in adaptive reuse and retrofit of historic buildings and sites across a range of heritage designations, including Grade I, II* and II listings, Purcell has undertaken a braod spectrum of projects of national and regional significance. This brochure presents a selection of these projects, illustrating how our work aligns with current priorities and emerging themes within the public sector.
Studio map
Asia Pacific
BRISTOL
CAMBRIDGE LONDON
MELBOURNE HOBART
SYDNEY
Our Portfolio
Manchester Town Hall Manchester
Hammersmith Town Hall London
Reading Town Hall
Oxford Town Hall Oxfordshire
Norfolk County Hall Norfolk
St Albans Town Hall Hertfordshire
Camden Town Hall London
Leamington Spa Town Warickshire
Birkenhead Former Wirral
Town Hall
Former Town Hall
Maesteg Town Hall Wales
Trowbridge Town Hall Wiltshire
Durham Town Hall Durham
Islington Town Hall London
Havering Town Hall London
Leicester Town Hall Leicestershire
Net zero & decarbonisation
We help estate owners chart clear, achievable pathways to net zero. Our in-house specialists help balance environmental, social, economic, and heritage priorities, unlocking the full potential of every project.
We lead the delivery of complex decarbonisation strategies, both as a standalone service and within major capital investment programmes. Our work developing pioneering research and guidance continues to shape best practice in energy efficiency for heritage estates.
Camden Town Hall - grand lobby marble staircase
Camden Town Hall, London
Accommodating a modern workforce and increasing democractic use.
Purcell’s proposals sensitively restored, refurbished and enhanced the historic town hall.
Work included the remodelling of the building to accommodate modern ways of working, with the upper floors of the building turned into lettable commercial office space.
Incorporating measures to eliminate fossil fuels, reduce energy use by 60%, and build climate resilience, the building is now future-proofed and ready to be enjoyed for the next 100 years.
Camden Town Hall, London - exterior and interior images
Accessibility & inclusivity
Optimising access is the key to safeguarding buildings for future generations. We apply inclusive design techniques to ensure the public buildings we work on are accessible and welcoming to the widest and most diverse audiences.
Purcell has developed a reputation for inclusive adaptions in some of the most challenging historic and grade listed settings, including Norfolk County Hall, the Parliamentary Estate and Manchester Museum.
Norfolk County Hall - Council Chamber
Norfolk County Hall, Norwich
Providing equal opportunity and accessibility for staff and visitors alike.
Purcell retrofitted this 1960s builsing to provide open, flexible, and adaptable workspaces, which have replaced outdated cellular offices to reflect the council’s agile working policy.
Devices such as lightweight hanging acoustic barriers define breakout areas and quiet spaces, facilitating multiple work styles and requirements.
Inappropriate visual patterns have been eliminated for the benefit of neurodiversity and important physical changes mean that all areas can be accessed and exited safely.
The refurbishment brought life to the previously uninviting and dilapidated spaces, improving occupant comfort, whilst achieving a 58% reduction in operational carbon emissions.
Norfolk County Hall - Breakout space
Estate rationalisation
Our teams are experts at identifying the potential in underutilised spaces and preparing an asset for sale or change of use. In existing buildings, space planning is a critical skill for achieving more efficient ways of working.
Disposing of assets may be the outcome of space planning tasks or buildings that are either unfit for purpose or have become redundant. In 2017, we worked with the Ministry of Justice to prepare Reading Prison for sale on the open market.
Maesteg Town Hall - The Facade of the completed town hall
Maesteg Town Hall, Maesteg, Wales
The redevelopment re-established the Town Hall as the cultural and civic heart of Maesteg, while addressing urgent needs around accessibility, sustainability, and commercial viability.
This rationalisation project provides an enhanced performance space, studio, and community learning space, accessed via a new, freelyaccessible, and vibrant front-of-house that engages with the street to attract new audiences and provide opportunities for informal performance.
The scheme provides a significant opportunity to re-use the building to provide a potent symbol of the cultural vibrancy of Maesteg and the Llynfi Valley.
Maesteg Town Hall - Community space and cafe
Retrofit & adaptive reuse
As early proponents of the ‘retrofit first’ revolution, our portfolio illustrates exemplary reuse, adaptation and refurbishment of civic, local authority and national government buildings, demonstrating the social, economic and environmental benefits of conserving existing building stock.
Trowbridge Town Hall - the restored facade with improved access
Trowbridge Town Hall, Wales
Transforming this historic town hall into a destination for live music, culture, socialising, and community activities.
The late Victorian town hall suffered decades of underinvestment and inappropriate interventions.
Purcell produced design options predominantly restoring and reinstating the principal rooms, whilst meeting modern requirements for access, fire, acoustic separation and sustainability.
The main objective was to restore the building back into the community and events venue it once was, to reduce its carbon footprint and running costs, to become inclusive, safe and compliant to modern standards, easier to maintain, to repair and protect the historic fabric and to ensure the building could generate an income to protect its long-term future.
Trowbridge Town Hall, - interior images
Estate management
Purcell provides estate management services. These include addressing backlog repairs through condition surveys and forward maintenance programmes.
Often requiring flexibility, discretion and minimal disruption to ongoing operations, the expertise of Purcell’s architects and surveyors is based on extensive experience of working in occupied environments. We can provide a unique balance of craft skills, innovative surveying techniques, heritage expertise (where required) and space planning experience across numerous workplace types to maximise efficiency.
Palace of Westminster, London - Shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize 2025
The Parliamentary Estate, London
Delivering multiple refurbishment projects over two decades.
Our ongoing work at the Parliamentary Estate includes the creation of additional workplaces, re-presentation of historic interiors and improving security and access measures.
Recently completed: refurbishment of the Millbank Island Site for the House of Lords, repair and refurbishment of the Elizabeth Tower, repair of the cast-iron roofs across the Palace of Westminster and the relighting of Westminster Hall.
Elizabeth Tower - Big Ben’s clockface during restoration
Social impact
We are committed to being socially responsible and environmentally sustainable in every project. This ethos is underpinned by the values the practice was founded upon as a heritage and conservation specialist.
Our holistic approach to sustainable architecture has at its core a solid foundation of knowledge acquired over generations and passed on through Purcell’s ecosystem of learning and development. This is augmented by our forward-thinking culture that allows us to challenge convention for convention’s sake.
Our goal is to successfully balance the interests of our various stakeholders through the quality of the judgements that we make.
Our Town Hall, Manchester City Council
Our Town Hall, Manchester
The once-in-a-generation comprehensive refurbishment presented tremendous social value opportunities.
Purcell hosted University of Manchester and University of Salford students as part of their respective modules on the adaptive reuse of historic buildings, utilising Purcell’s team to give site tours, lectures and to acts as ‘critical friends’ in design projects.
Purcell hosted its RIBA-accredited conservation course at OTH, a threeday training course for junior staff intended to pass on expertise and knowledge in conservation architecture.
A temporary conservation workshop was set-up to allow members of the public to witness complex craft skills, including stained glass and leadwork.
Manchester Town Hall Apprentices
Project lifecycle
Aims & objectives
Funding streams
Stakeholder engagement
Decarbonising the Estate
Inclusivity & accessibility
Net zero & sustainability
Social value & community
Backlog repairs
Masterplan
Framework & procurement
Strategic problem solving
Estate rationalisation & transformation
Building condition surveys
Feasibility studies
Design
Visualisation
Planning & consents
Retrofit & refurbishment
Heritage consultancy
Business case
All programmes of work are distinct - varying in size and complexity.
• Every project needs to go through different stages
• Understanding how these processes flow will reduce delay and cost
• Understanding the aims and requirements is key to a successful project
• Understanding the estate or buildings and surroundings will allow creative solutions to be explored
Delivery
NEC contracts
Building information management
Soft landings
Technical delivery
Completion & occupation
Post-occupancy evaluation
Estates management
Lessons learnt
Working with Purcell
“I
have rarely enjoyed a project so much nor worked with such an able and positive team.”
WILTSHIRE COUNCIL (TROWBRIDGE TOWN HALL, 2025)
“The professionalism and creativity of Purcell’s team make the entire process smooth and enjoyable.”
CHESHIRE EAST COUNCIL (CREWE WARM & HEALTHY HOMES, 2025)
Our Town Hall, Manchester City Council
The work required to repair and upgrade the Town Hall will demand real expertise and dedication, so we have selected our consultants with great care. We look forward to working with them on this once-ina-lifetime project, which will secure and enhance the long-term future of Manchester’s treasured civic centrepiece.
CITY COUNCIL (OUR TOWN HALL, 2025)
NORTH & HEAD OF PUBLIC SECTOR
Jo Bartle
Deputy Regional Partner
BA (Hons) MArch PGCert RIBA
jo.bartle@purcelluk.com
+44 (0) 1904 644 001
+44 (0) 7762 268 350
WEST
Justin Metcalfe
Regional Partner
BA (Hons) BArch PGDip RIBA Certified Passive House Designer
justin.metcalfe@purcelluk.com
+44 (0) 1865 856 250
+44 (0) 7912 747 992
LONDON & SOUTH-EAST
Katharine Barber Head of Heritage Consultancy
BA (Hons) DipArch RIBA katharine.barber@purcelluk.com
+44 (0) 7887 475 675
+44 (0) 7814 138 491
LONDON & SOUTH-EAST
Laura Baron Head of Sustainability
BA (Hons) MArch PGCert RIBA laura.baron@purcelluk.com
+44 (0) 207 397 7171
EAST
Peter Buist
Regional Partner
BA (Hons) MArch PGCert RIBA peter.buist@purcelluk.com
+44 (0) 207 397 7171
+44 (0) 7769 695 162
LONDON & SOUTH-EAST
Charles Bain Smith Head of Surveying
RIBA SCA
charles.bainsmith@purcelluk.com
+44 (0) 7483 351 007